Buying Your First Skateboard

So you've decided to start skateboarding. Good for you. You've probably seen some cool skate videos, played a bit of Tony Hawks pro skater or just hung around with other skaters at your local skate spot, and decided it's time you got in on the action yourself. By it's very nature, skateboarding is a very creative and individual sport, and you can take it in a lot of different directions, but there is one thing you will need and that's a skateboard.

I'm going to run through the major things you need to consider when buying a skateboard so you can make a better decision about what you buy and where you buy it from. This information is aimed at people interested in street skating and flatl and tricks. I am not familiar with the requirements for vert skating.

1. Cost One thing you should know straight off is that skateboards can be extremely expensive. Straight off the bat you can pay triple figures for a pro deck and that doesn't even include wheels, trucks and bearings (all of which also come at a premium if you want quality gear).

You should try and blank your mind to all that great stuff. To begin with, you need something basic and functional. Something fairly disposable is ideal so if you decide skating isn't for you or you end up ruining the skateboard in the process of learning (which you probably will) you haven't paid the earth for no reason.

Aim to pay around